Constantine X of Byzantium

Constantine X of Byzantium (1006-22 May 1067) was the Emperor of the Byzantine Empire from 1059 to 1067, succeeding Isaac I of Byzantium and preceding Romanos IV of Byzantium.

Biography
Constantine X was born in 1006, the son of Andronikos Doukas, who had served as the Governor of the Theme of Moesia in the Balkans. In 1057 he supported the rise to power of Isaac I of Byzantium, but he later gradually supported the bureaucracy against Isaac's reforms. Constantine was nevertheless chosen as Isaac's successor, and when Isaac abdicated in 1059, Constantine became the new emperor of the Byzantine Empire.

Under Constantine's rule, Byzantium was weakened. He disbanded a militia of 50,000 Armenians, weakening the defenses of Byzantium against the Seljuk Empire. He replaced standing soldiers with mercenaries, and supporters of Isaac within the military aristocracy attempted to assassinate in 1061 due to his growing unpopularity. In 1064 Alp Arslan conquered Greater Armenia and in 1065 the Oghuz Turks invaded the Balkans. The Kingdom of Hungary conquered Belgrade from him, and in 1067 he died. His sons were too immature to rule, so he was succeeded by a former general, Romanos IV of Byzantium.